Sweet Maple
by FluffyYandere
Summary: So, it seems like Yumi-tan is expecting a THIRD child. What kind of hell will be wreaked upon our couple this time!
1. Chapter 1

**Ahh! I'm sorry this is so short, I'm attempting to post this in prearranged chunks...**

It was a long time after Katsutoshi's birth; Katsutoshi himself had a steady boyfriend, and Rika had just been married to Arrancar Arturo Plateado after releasing him for the second time.

Yumichika Ayasegawa stood in the bathroom looking over his yearly blood test results for the umpteenth time.  
Based on what they said, he... no, but he hadn't felt... no Squad 4 members had said anything either, probably because they expected he already knew... but he didn't feel ANYTHING.

Oh well, he thought. I should leave before people assume I've collapsed in here.  
Just one of the infirmary restrooms, Miki, an especially young Squad 4 member, asked, "Are you feeling all right, Ayasegawa-san?"

"I'm fine..."

He looked at the other side as he was walking.

'Estimated time elapsed: 1month 3wks 6days,' part of it read.  
months? But nothing had come up...  
'Gender: F.' Hm. Another girl? Yumichika smiled at that. He tucked the page away and sighed, staring down in thought.  
After warning two low-ranking Eleven members to back off, that he was their superior, he had to admit that something had to be wrong - he couldn't think of any other explanation for why he hadn't had any symptoms.  
Now he had to somehow get an ultrasound at the infirmary without Ikkaku noticing him...

Sneaking into the infirmary through the Squad 4 barracks, he found Hana on break.

"Yumichika? What are you doing?"

"Well... my bloodwork says that I'm about two months pregnant, but I didn't know until I saw it. I just want to be sure nothing's wrong." He hesitated. "Without Ikkaku seeing me."

"Makes sense. Come on."


	2. Chapter 2

Yumichika thanked whatever power was out there when the ultrasound showed that nothing was wrong.  
"Everything's normal," Hana said. "Maybe the symptoms just haven't come up yet."

"Yes."

Looking through the crowd of for Ikkaku, Yumichika checked the time.

"He should still be waiting," he murmured.

"Hey, Yumichika."  
The peacock turned to see Lieutenant Izuru Kira, holding a sleepy month-old Miyoko.  
"Hi Kira."

The lieutenant looked a little worried.

"Are you feeling all right? Hana mentioned you'd been in for an exam earlier."

Trust to provide you with service and not keep her mouth shut. "I'm fine. I just... I wasn't feeling very well this morning. Have Matsumoto anywhere?"

"I think she was somewhere over there." Izuru pointed. "Why do you...?"

Yumichika had already headed off.  
Okay, so his timing hadn't been exact. He actually caught Ikkaku as he was headed towards the Eleventh Division.  
"Hah... Ikkaku," he panted, winded.

"Yumichika?"

"Hold on... Need to catch... my breath..."

"How long have you been running?" a perplexed Ikkaku asked after Yumichika had sat down.

"A little while... was looking for you."

Ikkaku sat down beside him. Yumichika handed him the blood test paper. His lover read both sides over carefully, then blinked at Yumichika in shock. Laughing softly, Yumichika stroked his cheek and said, "You know, you always react that way when I tell you I'm having a baby."

"...I do?"

Yumichika nodded and stood. "I've got my breath back now. Want to go somewhere else?"

"...Yeah, sure."


	3. Chapter 3

Another month passed and Yumichika started to show, but nothing else came up. Worried again, Yumichika got another ultrasound, this time from Kila, who'd recently become a full-fledged Squad 4 member.

"Ah, nothing's wrong, Ayasegawa-san," she said.

Hana insisted that the symptoms were just delayed, but Navi thought differently.  
"Maybe you got lucky, Yumichika," she told him as he was leaving. "It could be that you won't have any symptoms."

He hardly believed that.

Upon getting back home, the peacock sat down heavily on the couch and voiced his lingering concerns to his lover.

"She hasn't moved at all that I've felt, Ikkaku," he said. "Katsutoshi and Rika were kicking by now."

"They say that it's different every time," Ikkaku assured him. "I'm sure Kaede will be kicking soon."

"I don't know," the expectant Soul Reaper sighed, rubbing his belly. "I when I can't feel them move so I know they're alright."

Later that same evening, Yumichika lay on the couple's bed, just waiting for Ikkaku to finish showering; habitually running a hand over his stomach.  
He felt something and sat up. He felt it again.

"Ikkaku!"

Only wearing a towel, Ikkaku rushed into the bedroom. "What is it, Yumichika?"

"I think I felt Kaede move."

Ikkaku sighed; he'd been expecting an emergency.

"Come here," Yumichika beckoned. He placed Ikkaku's hand on his stomach. Movement again. "Did you feel it?"

"Just barely. She's not moving too much."

"Well... at least I know she's doing fine."


	4. Chapter 4

It was a festival day, and the Soul Society was allowed to mingle as it pleased. Quite a few Soul Reapers who were also parents checked up on Yumichika, including his oldest daughter.

"She's unusually calm, isn't she?"

"I know. It worries me sometimes."

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Yumichika?" Jushiro Ukitake asked. Tomorrow was the peacock's due date, and he could tell that Kaede wouldn't be a minute off time.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

"You're never really prepared, in my opinion," Momo Hinamori added. "It's always a surprise."

Right on time late the next afternoon, weak contractions began. Calm and collected, Yumichika started to gather his things to go to the infirmary, while Ikkaku seemed on the edge of panic.  
Noticing, Yumichika noted, "She's starting out very slowly and gently, Ikka. We have plenty of time."

Indeed, by the time the couple had reached the infirmary and gotten the pregnant peacock comfortable, his water hadn't even broken.

"Oh," Yumichika breathed after almost two hours. "The contractions are stronger..." Anxious, he squeezed Ikkaku's hand lightly. Ikkaku brushed his lover's hair out of his face.

"It's alright..."

It was another three hours before his water broke, bringing with it intense contractions meant to deliver. The peacock squirmed uncomfortably.

"We'll have to induce if there's not enough activity after the water's broken," Hana told the couple. "But I think you'll be good."

Taking deep, even breaths, Yumichika endured the steadily growing pain.  
But after four hours, he fell into darkness, faintly hearing Ikkaku call his name.  
When Yumichika came back to consciousness, he first noticed that the light was too bright, and that a baby was crying somewhere.

"Yumichika!"

"...Ikkaku...? What happened?"

"You passed out for about a half hour," Hana informed him, holding a bundle. "You came back just after Kaede got here, amazingly."

The peacock gazed wonderingly at his youngest daughter. It seemed to him that her cries were less Rika's had been; nowhere near as demanding 's.

"She sounds... different from the other two."

"She's quieter," Ikkaku said.

"No... It's not just that."

Kaede's cries quieted to whimpers and hiccups, and she opened teary purplish eyes to look up at them. She started to cry again.

Ikkaku was confused. "She's been fed already."

"I think... she's afraid," Yumichika whispered. He kissed the newborn's forehead and rocked and hummed to her until the girl fell asleep.

Smiling, he said, "She's perfect."


End file.
